Favorite Quotes Made by Composers

[dwil9798]

Would anyone like to share their favorite quotes said by composers or critics about music? My personal favorites are:

Olivier Messiaen (on talking of his choice to leave St. Francis's sins out of his opera) - "Sin isn't interesting, dirt isn't interesting. I prefer flowers."

Richard Wagner (or Strauss, I've not sure) - "Never look at the trombones. It only encourages them."

(After reading a copy of Schoenberg's piano concerto) Pianist - "You'de need six fingers to play this!" Schoenberg - "I can wait."

[KGill]

Richard Wagner (or Strauss, I've not sure)

That's definitely Strauss.
Would Cole Porter count? "My sole inspiration is a telephone call from a producer."

[Generoso]

“It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.”

Johann Sebastian Bach

[Niels]

Liszt: 'When the Tsar speaks everyone should remain silent.'
Rachmaninoff: 'Gentlemen — I, Sergei Rachmaninoff, have just heard myself play!'

The first one is my favorite.

[allegroamabile]

“The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, 'Is there a meaning to music?' My answer would be, 'Yes.' And 'Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?' My answer to that would be, 'No.'” ~ Aaron Copland

“So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.”~ Aaron Copland

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.”~ Leonard Bernstein

[Yagan Kiely]

So these were the three circumstances that compelled me to experiment
in music: I was involved in music; I was working with turntables (then
with tape-recorders); I was horrified by modern 12-tone music. I said
to myself, 'Maybe I can find something different... maybe salvation,
liberation, is possible.' Seeing that no-one knew what to do anymore
with DoReMi, maybe we had to look outside that... Unfortunately it
took me forty years to conclude that nothing is possible outside
DoReMi... In other words, I wasted my life.

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.”~ Leonard Bernstein

I like, and agree.

[Melodia]

Huh, not sure how I posted on the wrong thread there.

[ZacPB189]

Richard Wagner (or Strauss, I've not sure)

That's definitely Strauss.
Would Cole Porter count? "My sole inspiration is a telephone call from a producer."

No. It's a well know Wagner quote .

[vinteuil]

Strauss: "Such people cannot be helped" (in reference to an orchestration blunder made by an otherwise fine composer)
Berlioz: "Vous appelez cela digerer" (Look it up in the Wagner original

[pianoer]

Richard Strauss, on Hans Pfitzner (who regularly told interviewers how difficult it was to compose and live up to a composer's sacred calling): If he finds it so difficult, why does he bother?
Pierre Boulez, on Arvo Part: The human mind is capable of much more than Mr. Part demands.

[Philidor]

"A good composer should be able to set public notices to music."

Telemann